Process and apparatus for the centrifugal casting of metal pipes



March 24, 1931. L. L. MATHIEU PROCESSAND APPARATUS FOR THE CENTRIFUGAKCASTING OF METAL PIPES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

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March 24, 1931. L. MATHIEU 1 ,797,872-

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE CEN TRIFUGAL CASTING'OF' METAL PIPES.

Filed Dec. 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vENToR;

V W. Attorney.

Patented Mar. 24, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEON LOUIS MATHIEU, OF ROUEN, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SOCIETE ANONYME DES HA'UTS-FOUBNEAUX ET FONDEBIES DE FONT-.A-MOUSSON, OF PONT-A-MOUSSON,

MEURTHE-ET-MOSELLE, FRANCE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE CENTRIFUGAL CASTING OF METAL PIPES Application filed December 29, 1928, Serial No. 329,206, and in France April 27, 1928.

This invention relates to pipe casting machines, in which the molten metal is delivered by a tilting pot into a movable ladle and supplied from the latter into a sand mould pro- 5 vided in a flask placed in a substantially horizontal position, and subjected to a rapid movement of rotation, the ladle being moved axially through the flask, whereby the metal may be progressively poured along the whole 10 length of the mould.

The primary object of the invention is to enable the operator to easily control the tipping of the metal pot and thereby the discharge of molten metal in accordance with the longitudinal motion of the ladle, so as to distribute the metal in a very uniform manner along the whole length of the mold.

With this and other objects in View as will appear from the following description, the invention consists in the novel features and combination of parts as hereinafter described and more fully pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawin shows by way of example an apparatus em odying the invention.

Fig. 1 is a general elevational view of a pipe casting machine constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is the corresponding end View.

Fig.3 is an elevational view on a larger scale of the said feeding control device.

Fig. 4 shows a modified form of the driving means for one of the pointers used for the feed control.

adapted for the centrifugal casting of pipes. It comprises a main frame 1 which is mounted at one end upon two horizontal trunnions 2 and at the other end upon a piston 3 by which it canbe inclined during-the casting .of the pipe. The molding flask sand mould is carried by four rollers 7 which form a rotatable support and can be driven in any suitable manner.

The casting device comprises on the one hand a cast iron bed or frame 8 provided with V-shaped guiding slots 9 upon which is slidable a carriage 10 carrying a ladle 11, said carriage being displaced along the bed 8 The machine shown in the drawing is P 4 containing the by ahydraulic piston notshown. i A funnel 12 is adapted to receive the melted metal from ladle.

In the form of construction herein represented, the metal pot 13 is mounted by its two trunnions 14 upon two toothed sectors 15 which are pivotally mounted at 16 on a supporting frame 17. The said sectors engage with two pinions 18 which are mounted on the said frame and are keyed to a common shaft 18 (Fig. A shaft iron brace 19 connects the two sectors 15 together at the front part, and operatively connects the pot to the said sectors in their rotation on the trunnions 16.

The supporting frame17 is vertically movable and is carried by vertical posts 20 connected by parallellinks 21, 23 to pivots 24, 25 provided on a column 22, so as to forma deformable parallelogram. Upon the pivots 25, are secured two levers 27 carrying two respective counterweights 28 adapted to equilibrate the moving structure just de- The movement is imparted to the second trunnion 16 (situated at the rear of Figure 3) by means of the two toothed sectors 15 and of the said pinions 18, which are mounted, as above stated, on the shaft '18.

The controlling device consists of two ointers 29 and 30 rotatable on a common shaft 31 before a dial 32 which is mounted on the control board 33 of the machine. 7

The angular movement of the pointer 29 corresponds to the longitudinal motion of the ladle 11, the pointer making one revolution for a complete stroke of the ladle. It is operated by a rack carrier 10, a pinion engaging said rack,- a

37 mounted on the ladle.

cable or belt 34.

The second pointer 30 shows on the dial the upward movement of the pot 13 and its supporting structure, which takes place by gravity, as the pot is being emptied. For this purpose, a cam 38 (Fig. 3).or like mempointer will make one revolution on the dial 32 when an amount of cast metal representing the weight of a pipe has been dis charged from the metal pot 13, the angular position of the pointer corresponding at any instant to the weight of metal discharged from the pot, and the pointer moving by equal angles for equal weights of metal discharged.

Instead of the cam 38, any other suitable means may be used, such for instance as that shown in Figure 4-, in which a toothed sector 43 of adequate outline is secured tonne of the counterweights 28 and engages with the pinion or roller 39.

. The operation is as follows. The speed of the pouring ladle 11 having been regulated once for all, the operator starts the ladl in motion and regulates the admission of power fluid into the cylinder 44, tipping the metal pot 13, in such a manner that the second pointer 30 will always closely follow the first pointer 29 and will complete its revolution at the same time.

The operator will thus be certain that the total amount of metal discharged from the pot 13 corresponds to the total weight allotted to the pipe, and further. since the two pointers have regularly followed one another during one revolution on the dial, he is assured that the said total amount of metal has been evenly distributed upon the whole length of the pipe.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the form of construction herein described and represented, which is given solely by way of example.

It is obvious that the invention is also applicable to the known arrangement in which the distributing memberis stationary and the mold movable. M I wish to be understood that the following claims cover also the application of the invention to this known arrangement although, for the sake of clearness, theyare specifically directed to the arrangement in which the distributing member is movable and the mold stationary.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a process for the casting of metal pipes by the centrifugal force. the steps consisting in continuously recording the longitudinal displacement ofthe metal pouring member and the weight of molten metal delivered from the metal pot, in such a manner as to enable the operator to instantaneously know the ratio between the weight of metal delivered and the length of the actual cast pipe, and in controlling at will the discharge of molten metal in view of these records.

2. In combination in a casting machine for the centrifugal casting of metal pipes, a

mold, a metal distributing member movable along the mold, a visual indicator adapted to record the displacement of said metal distributing member, a metal pot, a second visual indicator adapted to record the weight of molten metal delivered from the metal pot, both said visual indicators being so arranged with relation to each other as to afford a ready comparison of their indications to let the operator know at each moment the actual value of the ratio between the weight of metal delivered and the length of the cast portion of the pipe, and meanswhereby the delivery of the molten metal from said metal pot into the distributing member may be regulated at will at either moment by the operator.

3. In a pipe casting machine by centrifugal force, a mold. a metal distributing member movable along the mold, a metal pot, means for movably supporting the metal pot to allow the position of the latter to vary in response to the weight of metal therein, a visual indicator, gearing means connecting an element participating in the motion of the metal distributing member to said visual indicator whereby the latter is adapted to record the longitudinal displacement of said distributing member, a second visual indicator, gearing means interposed between an element participating in the displacement of the metal pot and said second visual indicator, whereby the latter is adapted to record the weight of metal discharged from said metal pot, both visual indicators being soarranged with relation to each other as to afford a. ready comparison of their indications to let the operator know at each moment the actual value of the ratio between the weight of metal delivered and the length of the cast portion of the pipe, and means whereby the delivery of the molten metal from said metal pot into the distributing member may be regulated at will at either moment by the operator.

4. In a casting machine as claimed in claim 2, the provision of a supporting structure on which the metal pot is tiltingly mounted and means for tipping at will said metal pot.

5. In a casting machine as claimed in claim 2. the provision of a supporting structure on which the metal pot is tiltingly mounted, a power fluid cylinder carried by the said structure, a piston in said cylinder adapted to tip the metal pot and means for controlling at will the supply of fluid to said cylinder.

6. In a casting machine as claimed in claim 2. the provision of a stationary support in which is journalled a carrier for. the metal pot, means for balancing the weight of the movable aggregation formed by said carrier,

the metal pot, means for balancing the weight of the carrier with the elements supported thereon and the molten metal in the metal pot, gearing means connecting a part of this movable aggregation to the last named visual indicator, and means for controlling at will the supply of fluid to said cylinder.

8. In a pipe casting machine as claimed in claim 3, the further feature residing in that said bearing means of the recording device of the weight of metal delivered includes a cam and roller contrivance, the cam being given such an outline that the displacements of the corresponding indicator will be the same for. equal variations of the Weight of the metal in the metal pot, whatever may be the position of the latter.

9. In a pipe casting machine by centrifugal force, a mold, a metal distributing member movable along the mold, a metal pot, means for movably supporting the metal pot to allow the position of the latter to vary in response to the weight of metal therein, a pointer rotatable on a dial, gearing means connecting an element participating in the motion of the metal distributing member to said pointer whereby the latter is adapted to record the longitudinal displacement of said distributing member, a second pointer rotatable on the same dial, gearing means interposed between an element participating in the displacement of the metal pot and said second pointer, whereby the latter is adapted to record the weight of metal discharged from said metal pot, both pointers being so arranged with relation to each other as to afiord a ready comparison of their indications to let the operator know at each moment the actual value of the ratio between the Weight of metal delivered and the length of the cast portion of the pipe, and means whereby the delivery of the molten metal-from said metal pot into the distributing member may be regulated at will at either moment of the operator.

10.- In a pipe casting machine as claimed in claim 9, the further feature residing in that ing means adapted to drive, said pointers, respectively, being such that both pointers will have the same total angular displace-- 11. In combination in a casting machine for the centrifugal casting of metal pipes, a mold, a metal distributing member movable along the mold, anindicator adapted to indicate the actual speed of said metal distributing member, a metal pot, a second indicator adapted to indicate at each time the actual output of molten metal delivered from the metal pot, both said indicators being arranged to cooperate together to inform at each moment the operator of the actual value of the ratio between the actual amount of metal delivered and the actual speed of the metal delivering member, and means whereby the delivery of the molten metal from said metal pot may be regulated at will at either moment by the operator.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification;

LEON LOUIS MATHIEU.

both pointers are coaxially disposed, the earing means of therecording device 0 'the weight of metal delivered including a cam and roller contrivance, the shape given to the cam outline is such that the angular displacements of the corresponding pointer will be the same'for equal variations of the weight of the metal in the metal pot, whatever may'i be the position of the latter, and both 

